A dual-timeline transmigration story: unofficial history is even wilder than official history.
The top: An eccentric emperor in his past life, now an antique collector.
The bottom: An unlucky imperial tutor in his past life, now an archaeologist.
Also known as:
The bottom: Can we talk this out? Don't smash that gold-and-silver-inlaid bowl with a scrolling lotus-petal pattern!
The top: ...What bowl?
The serious blurb
They say you teach one person in your previous life, and dig up their tomb in this one.
Qi Qinghuai is in his late twenties. His day job is crouching in an excavation trench at Emperor Wenxiang's mausoleum, doing archaeology by day and restoring artifacts by night.
Emperor Wenxiang is the subject of countless rumors and seems to attract bloodshed wherever he goes. As crown prince, he was lecherous, superstitious, and bloodthirsty, responsible for countless bizarre and infamous episodes. After ascending the throne, however, he transformed into a model ruler who worked diligently and cared for his people. If not for how smoothly he handed power over to his successor, he could practically have been nominated as an emperor for the ages.
The contrast between his before and after was so extreme that, nowadays, people would probably tell him to consult a spiritual expert.
Historians argued endlessly over the matter, while unofficial historians excitedly seized on the imperial tutor, who had barely been mentioned in the official records, and spread rumors:
"He must have lost the love of his life!"
Qi Qinghuai, the victim of unofficial-history gossip and the imperial tutor at the center of the storm, put down his little shovel and silently wiped his brow. He wasn't sure about the lost-love part, but...
That damn emperor really had been his secret crush in his previous life.
Every time he thought about it, he scolded himself. With all the turmoil of his previous life, why was that the only thing he remembered?
Unfortunately, the man was long dead. Otherwise, Qi Qinghuai would have loved to see what the bastard was really like. Even the Meng Po soup couldn't wash him from his memory!
The next moment, he dug up a split Boshan incense burner. As he brought the two pieces together, his vision blurred.
When he opened his eyes again, he had transmigrated to ancient times. A refined, handsome man in traditional robes stood before him and invited him to join forces.
The man called himself Liu Yunxiu, the seventh son of Emperor Wenhe of the Great Jing.
...And the future Emperor Wenxiang.
Then Qi Qinghuai discovered that Liu Yunxiu seemed just a tiny bit different from the descriptions in the history books...
For example:
According to Miscellaneous Tales of Xijing, Liu Yunxiu had always preferred tall, sturdy women who looked like men, and kept three thousand beauties in his princely residence.
Qi Qinghuai stared at the line of heavily made-up, muscular men standing before him, dumbfounded and trembling.
"These... these are your, uh... beauties?"
He later learned that the emperor disapproved of his sons keeping retainers. To secretly build up a network of strategists and death warriors, they had no choice but to ask the heroes of every faction to temporarily "serve others with their looks."
Qi Qinghuai rubbed his forehead. A teacher's lax discipline is the teacher's fault... I know we're fighting over the succession, but couldn't we do it with a little more dignity?
Later, Qi Qinghuai, covered in suggestive red marks, nudged the vigorous crown prince beside him. "Do I have to serve the ruler with my looks, too?"
Liu Yunxiu was horrified. "Teacher, why would you think that of me?"
Qi Qinghuai: "Fine, I won't. Can you get your hands under control first and stop touching me everywhere?"
Theme: Wild unofficial history and even wilder official history
